


Secret Before Death

by Robinsreese



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Bruce Wayne is Jason Todd's Parent, Jason Todd and Damian Wayne Meet in the League of Assassins, Jason Todd is Bad at Feelings, Jason Todd-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27840604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robinsreese/pseuds/Robinsreese
Summary: Jason got arrested and now the police won't let him go without calling Bruce.But whats Bruce even doing here?
Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 4
Kudos: 235





	Secret Before Death

**Author's Note:**

> This ignores the violence between the family but keeps around the moral issues.

* * *

Jason got arrested. As Jason Todd, well more like a John Doe since Jason Todd died about seven years ago and Jason wasn't going around advertising to anyone that he was now alive and breathing. 

Which is how the GCPD were able to warrent a blood sample for a DNA test. All because he forgot to wear his helmet when he 'trespassed', into who he thought was a crooked cop, but was apparently not.

And to make things more unlucky, Gordon wasn't the one processing him, it was some nobody not even the guy he was tailing. 

"We've got your results back," After what was maybe three or four hours since he first was left alone in the interagation room. "Your father is coming to get you,"

Jason stared intensely at the officer, his father? He died when Jason was nine, if he was coming to 'get him' Jason would rather take his chances fighting every single cop in this precinct. 

"What are you talking about? My dad's dead." 

"Your blood came back, and your DNA was traced to your father who'll be here any minute to sign your release into his custody."

"I'm not a minor, you know, I don't need to be handed to someone." Jason was confused to say the least, this definitely not how this is suppose to go, not that he'd ever been in this situation before, contrary to his family's beliefs on what Jason does in his spare time.

"I don't know that, I don't know anything, John Doe."

Jason rolled his eyes, that was fair, Jason had refused to answer everything and opted out of getting a lawyer. So here they were, waiting for his so-called father to show up. Who somehow had enough sway with the uncorrupted law enforcement.

Another officer knocked on the door, she stepped halfway in signaling behind her at whoever was with her. "He's here." Was at she said holding open the door for his 'father'.

It was Bruce. He was standing there between the two officers while Jason was handcuffed to the table, looking awfully calm.

"Now, this here is Bruce Wayne, kid. Your blood test shows he is in fact your biological father and as a favour to the commissioner you got lucky and the officer dropped all his charges. Seeing as you've got something new to focus on, maybe you should stay out of trouble."

There was no way Bruce would have been able to tamper with his blood test, there wasn't enough time, for one. And for two, Bruce didn't even know he was here, he didn't even give a fake alias for this to somehow get back to him. Which meant...

Which meant Bruce was his dad?

"What the fuck?"

And it looked like he already knew that.

Bruce stares at him, resigned his hand ran down his face, "Can we do this in the car?" No wanting to make a scene with the two officers swinging their heads back and forth during the conversation.

Nodding the four of them walked out of the room, Jason was being uncuffed and Bruce signing away at papers to release Jason.

They both headed towards the extravagant car Bruce drove over in, Bruces hand extended with his fob to open the car doors. Jason reached and snatched the keys walking to the drivers side.

Bruce heavily sighed, changing directions to the passengers door, not saying anything. Once inside, Jason placed the key in without starting up the car, waiting for Bruce to settle in after putting his seatbelt on.

"You already knew." He was looking ahead, to avoid Bruces gaze.

"Yes." Jason starts the car up and heads to the manor, his hand tightened on the wheel.

"For how long?" His anger seeping through, his parents were always a sore subject no matter who the parent he was refering to was.

"Since the first time I took your DNA to record into the batcomputer." Jason remembered that day, Bruce wanted to update his file and then he went off on a League mission for maybe a week and a half, without contacting the manor. It was before Robin.

Before he died.

"Were you ever gonna tell me?" Jason clenched his teeth after, trying not to yell. They were almost at the manor, the ride mostly quite with stilted questions and reluctant answers.

"I-you were already my son so-"

"So, no then." Jason haphazardly parked the car by the fountain, jumping out of the car and was stalking his way up the steps, that lead to the front doors.

"Jason, wait!" Bruce called out trying to catch up with him.

Jason was on a mission to see the one person who never tried to avoid the subject, who never lied to anyones face when asked something directly. Especially not to Jason.

He was searching for Alfred.

Stomping, he made it to the kitchen where everyone else seemed to be waiting. Including the old man he was looking for.

"Little wing! Hey, did you hear? Timmy overheard Bruces phone call, apparently he had a kid out there who just got arrested. Did you see him?" Bruce walked in a few steps behind Jason. Everyone ignored what Dick had said when they noticed the cringe on Bruces face.

Except Alfred, who was raising an eyebrow at the blank stare he was getting from Jason. He didn't want to ask for a moment, didn't want it to register that Bruce was his dad.

"Alfie, did you know?" Jason whispered out.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Master Jason." Alfred furrowed his eyebrows but still he continued cleaning around his kitchen while Jasons brothers and sister tried to get Bruce to talk about what happened with their new brother.

"Do you know who my biological father is?" 

That got the others attention, Bruce looked away from them at the floor, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Whatcha mean Little Wing?"

"Jay, I thought it was your mom you were unsure about, isn't that why Ethiopia happened?"

"Seriously, Todd at this point you should just assume everyone can potentially be your sires,"

"Brother will always be brother."

Jason still ignored his sibling waiting for Alfreds reponse. Although he appreciates Cass' statement, and if he was paying attention, acknowledge the concern in Dicks question. He might've laughed at Damians and punched Tim in the arm for mentioning when he died but Alfred was the one he needed to hear from.

The answer he was waiting for.

"Do you mean to tell me that you weren't informed on your thirteenth birthday?" Alfred had turned to stare at Bruce causing the others to follow.

"B, you didn't."

"Wow, thats pretty low of you, even for a bat,"

"Father! You said you didn't keep secrets from Robins, anything else you're hiding?"

"Went out to find son, Jason asked about father, interesting."

At Cass' observation the three boys gasped in shock or in outrage when it came to Damian.

"Please Bruce, don't say you didn't tell Jaybird because we were fighting, at the time,"

"That makes so much sense, you two were always so similar and look at you two next to eachother, how did I not put this together,"

"Is this why Mother had such an interest with Todd? She always said we were brothers more so, than with the others?" 

At this Jason stopped his mind whirling, did anyone else know. Talia did, Alfred did and Bruce did. Jason should have known when he was thirteen, according to Alfred. That was ten years ago.

Damian was his biological brother, or well half brother. But the two of them had always had a bond over staying together in the League. Did that change things now? 

His head hurt with all this information, "I'm going to bed," Jason practically ran out of the room to his bedroom, the sounds of his name echoing behind him.

He walked into a fifteen year old Jasons room and went to his bed. Under his warm covers and pulling the kids book from under the pillow, it was the last book he was in the middle of reading before he died.

He started it over.

He must have fallen asleep, the sun was poking out of his windows. He stretched without moving his covers and stayed in bed waiting for whoever it was that would surely come in to bug him after they woke up.

No doubt Alfred had told them to stay away for awhile to let him think.

The first knock of the day came and with it was Dick, who opened the door and let himself in. He looked like the equivalent of a puppy that was denied cuddles. 

"Little wing, I'm so sorry," The thing about Dick was he always assumed the world revovled around himself, it also didn't help that he had a guilt complex the size of the sun when it came to Jason.

Even if he did have a point, even if Bruce didn't tell him because he was already having a tough time with Dick and he thought admitting he found his biological child would ruin their relationship more.

Even if all that was true and Bruce picked Dick over him, which he sorta understood, a kid he met for a few years versus his son he raised for almost ten, it was an easy choice but it didn't hurt anyless, it wasn't Dicks fault.

"Dickie, calm down you didn't even know, and if you did it's not like you know how to keep a secret anyway." Dick sat down with Jason on his bed. He was staring around the room, another thing he felt guilty about, he supposed.

His death had some new meanings now that he knew who his father was, Bruce didn't avenge his own biological child so he couldn't blame it on being adopted like he had in the past.

"You're right, Little Wing and it's time for breakfast anyway we should go get some cereal!" Dick nodded, pulling Jason to his feet.

"Not everyone likes cereal every single day, Dickface!" Jason called out through the bathroom door.

When the two made it to the kitchen the rest were already there, excluding Bruce who was probably avoiding him. Tim was even awake with his coffee mug stuffed in his face chugging the caffiene down.

Jason and Dick sat on the same side next to eachother in the only seats left, digging into their english breakfast.

Tim finally stopped making out with his coffee to stare at Jason. He wasn't subtle about it, that may have been because it was morning and Tim has never been a morning person.

Finishing the food Jason was chewing in his mouth and washing it down with some tea, he cleared his throat to indicate that if Tim had something to say to Jason, he should say it now.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about your adoption papers, were they forged then? Or did Bruce actually adopt you, somehow?" 

It was Jasons turn to stare, he shovelled more food in his mouth, taking his time to think about it. "You update our files right? Have you even seen the papers? Cause now that you mention it, I don't think I ever have."

Which seemed to be true for all over them.

Tim hummed sipping his refill of coffee, "That's true."

"If Bruce isn't on your birth certificate then he could have adopted you, legally, that way," Dick chimed in happily munching on what was probaby his fourth bowl of cereal.

"I could look into it, if you want." Offered Tim.

"Nah, I'm good."

Tim shrugged dropping the subject, while Cass stood up placing a kiss on his cheek before leaving the room. Jason made to do the same when Damian motioned for Jason to follow.

They both went to put their dishes in the dish washer before Damian lead them to his dog."We are going for a walk, join us." He left no room for refusal, marching to put on his shoes and grab Titus' leash.

"Damian, what are we doing here?" Here, was the forest on the east side of the property. They had been walking in silence until now, not even halfway through their walk it seemed.

"Mother told me, when I was younger. We first met, do you remember? I was four, you stayed with me until I was six before leaving."

"Of course, I remember. How could I forget, a mini looking Bruce who kept tugging on my pants to take him to museums. You were adorable, bet Dickiebird gets jealous I got to see you so little." Jason laughed, it was true when he regained his mentality, Talia had him babysitting her son.

Jason doubts she knows that he never actually taught him any of the bat-moves she wanted him to know so early. They usually went around whatever town they were in as tourists, Jason always claimed to was to teach Damian to be familar with his surroundings.The only reason why the kid even knew so many languages was because of Jason.

And of course Damians love of animals came from these little adventures of theirs. For two years they visited zoos and farms, wherever there were animals, Jason may have also encouraged Damian to developed those art skills he had just began to show interest in before he left.

He was glad Damian came by to live at the manor when he was eight, all his worries were under one roof by then.

"Shut it To-,"

Damian cut himself off seemingly confused as what to address him now, blood family was important to Damian even if he was learning to accept the others as family. He now had an actual brother of his blood or at least half of it, which was more than before.

"You can still call me Todd, Dami. I know you have trouble with first names," Jason had a teasing grin on his face reserved for making fun of his siblings.

Damian glared at Jason, "Why would you want to keep that name? Do you not wish to be a Wayne?"

"It's not that, it's just that I grew up thinking he was my dad y'know nothing wrong with it still being there. Besides I'm dead can't really change my last name anyway,"

They finally started to loop back, "That's a riddiculous excuse even for you. And I'm sorry for not believing Mother, you could have known ages ago if not for me,"

Jason stopped and grabbed Damian by the shoulder spinning the younger boy to face him. His head was tilted down, so Jason ducked a hand under his chin to force some eye contact.

"It's not your fault," he spoke clearly, firm in his belief. "You were four, everyone was lying to you back then. It's nothing to feel guilty about. And we both know that even though you didn't think we were blood related, we were-we are brothers. Am I clear?" The guilt complexes of these bats are as gigantic as the ocean.

Damian nodded slowly, "Of course, _Akhi._ " he shyly smiled. It was the same thing Damian use to call him when they were younger. He had stopped calling him that in the presence of the others, when he first came to live in the manor and completely stopped after he turned thirteen.

It was nice to hear again.

The two of them plus Titus made their way inside, it was barely noon on a Saturday, the others most likely in the batcave hanging out and training. They released the dog to head down to meet up with the others.

Cass and Dick looked to be having some sort of flexibility contest with Tim on the ground next to them exhausted and drenched in sweat.

"Don't worry Timmers, I bet the two of them are just showing off cause they can't fight as well as us," Jason called out, him and Damian stepping closer to the three.

He knew that as soon as the words left his lips the others would take it as a challenge. And do the batkids love challenges. 

"Bring it, Little Wing!" Dick got down from the high bar he was balancing on, Cass nodded in agreement stepping closer, as well.

Tim just sat up from where he was lying down, "But I'm tired," he whined, stretching the last word out.

"Should we do teams? We could have Timberly or one of the CPR dummies on a team to even them out." Jason joked. Damian already smirking tossing a sharp barb at Tim.

"Well, it seems like height and muscle skipped passed you, must be because of your moms side." Tim glared back.

"Dude, leave our mom out of it," Everyone knew Talia took care of him, for whatever reason. She still called to check on him, offered him shelter and money to pay for things and visited him more often than the others knew.

Damian and the others looked at Jason, before Damian growled out, "What is that suppose to mean, Drake? Are you calling me short?" Damian jumped on Tim then, hitting and biting. Dick moved to try and seperate them, Jason instead went to Cass smiling as they ignored the three of them screaming.

"Next time," She nodded towards them, the challenge postponed. 

"You know, I was actually way shorter than Damian at thirteen," Jason spoke just loud enough to grab their attention. The younger two excited to learn anything about Jasons past as Robin since none of the others ever shared much.

"I remember, you were about the same size as Damian when he was ten, you were so cute!" Dick squealed, "I think everyone wanted to cuddle with you back then, but you only let Alfred and Bruce hug you." 

"Yeah, well everyone else was a stranger, Dick. I wasn't like you, hanging off every person you saw." 

Dick hummed teasingly, "Okay, but what about Diana?"

Jason turned red in embarassment, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Jason tackled Dick who started laughing out loudly. The others were confused by the whole ordeal.

While the two continued, Alfred came down with refreshments, lemonade and sweet tarts. Tim stepped up, deciding to ask Alfred while their two older brothers were distracted.

"Alfred?"

"Yes, Master Timothy?" He set his tray down giving the three his undivided attention.

"What did Jason do, when he met Diana?"

Alfred smiled, eyes full of mirth. "He'd been on a painkiller after a nasty arm break and had asked her to be his mother. Clinging to her, he refused to let her go. Went on and on trying to sell the idea to her, even bargaining away Master Bruce so as not to have to be married to anyone, he avoided her for awhile after that. The two had quite the relationship, I don't think they ever mended it." Alfred said wistfully. 

They all understood that Jason died before he could and hasn't been the most proud-inducing person since.

Alfred was glad he found the mother figure he was looking for in Talia, even if she is one of the few people Alfred could admit to detesting for keeping Jason away from them for so long.

Cass moved to the older two, "Little brother, stop." For some reason even though he was a few months older, Cass subtracted the time he was dead making him younger than her, in her mind. Jason easily accepts this, but whenever he is reffered to as her 'little brother' he does her bidding. Not that she ever takes advantage of it, or make him do anything out of the ordinary.

But everyone noticed, and they all concluded, that Cass has Jason wrapped around her finger just like the other stone cold members of the Wayne family; Damian and Bruce.

That or she was Jasons favourite sibling. 

Either way Jason stopped and got up, nodding to Cass, placing a kiss on her forehead then walking to Alfred for his share of lemonade and sweet tarts.

By the time dinner rolled around Bruce still hadn't been seen. They ate messily with Tim and Damian fighting with eachother. The older three siblings just ignored them.

"Brother okay now?" Cass asked between bites. She must have been concerned he had been trying to use his family to help him ignore the problem.

"I'm fine, I guess confused about the lies is all. Weird thinking neither of the parents I grew up with were mine,"

No one spoke a word, none of them could really relate, everyone was always sure who they were and where they were from. Jasons entire life seemed to surround itself with that same mystery.

Until now that is.

"Little brother always little brother," Cass said before getting up to leave, "Going out to watch movie at Babs," She went to get changed leaving her brothers behind each with a hand through their hair.

"She's right, you use to call Bruce dad all the time, nothing is different now that its biological, Little Wing. But also, I gotta go get ready for patrol, will you be okay?" When Jason nodded Dick left the room as well.

Jason played with his food on his plate, "I think you gotta look at this the other way he's always known you were his son so he's never not thought of you in that way. You're both so awkward about things, he must've thought you might've stopped calling him your dad if you knew. He loves being called that. Since Dick and I have dads it didn't ever seem right for us, he got Cass when she was too old to think of him that way and Damian calls him father. It was only you who called him that."

Tim got up leaving to follow Dick, he was also scheduled for patrol.

"I think that Father was just afraid, _Akhi."_

"Of what?"

"You rejecting him, losing you after he found you,"

"I died! He already lost me!"

"And then you came back angry, your relationship to shreds when should he have told you?"

"When he found out! Dami, he knew before I was Robin!"

"That's true, he was foolish but would anything have changed? If you knew, would you have not gone out to find your birth mother?"

Damian also got up to leave, having a date with the Kent boy soon.

Jason didn't know, would he still have gone if he found out he about Catherine not being his birth mom and Sheila was? Yeah, he could say with certainty, Bruce was his dad all those years ago. But as proof with Talia, Jason had always been a mamas boy, missed having his and got excited at the thought of having another.

A chair was dragged noisely, looking up it was Alfred with two cups of tea. "May I?" He said pointing to the pulled out chair.

"Of course, Alfie," Jason was handed a teacup. Blowing across the top of it he took a tentative sip of the hot beverage.

"If I may offer some advice as well, Master Jason," 

"Go for it." Jason smiled, this was what he was waiting for today. Everyone else knew the Bruce and Jason of today, not the two from ten years ago. Dick couldn't either since he wasn't around to know about much.

But Alfred did. He was there too.

"You have always been loved in this manor, dear child and always will be. I'm afraid we had discussed this, after you lived here for two years we decided to tell you. It was an oversight on my part thinking he would been able to tell you on his own. Your relationship changed not long after with you calling Master Bruce your father. I made the assumption that the conversation happened, apologies,my boy." 

Alfred grabbed and squeezed his hand before letting go. They drank their tea in silence for a long time. Just sitting in eachothers company.

Alfred gathered the tea cups, shooing Jason away when he tried to help. Jason made his way upstairs back to fifteen year old Jasons room.

Shutting the door he saw someone on his bed looking at the photo, kid Jason left on the nightstand.

It was Bruce, staring at the picture of the two of them after a baseball game. Gotham lost.

Jason didn't say anything, he didn't want to start this conversation. He walked around to the other side of the bed, got under the covers with his back facing Bruce.

"Jason..." Bruce said quietly, hand rubbing on his thirteen year old face. Older Jason wasn't sure if he meant to say it out loud, if he was talking to the picture instead.

"I just... didn't want you to think-to think I was like Willis," He finally said, still looking away from him.

"Cause you beat people up, nightly?"

Bruce huffed a laugh, "I was a six-foot something giant and you were at my knee, I just didn't want to be another him in your life, didn't want to scare you anymore,"

"You were my dad,"

"Am I not anymore?" Bruce looked at him smiling a heartbroken smile. Trying to play it off as a joke. He put the picture back before pulling an envelope up. "Since the police identified you, I made you some documentations, Jason Wayne for now until you want to change it,"

Bruce stood up ready to leave, Jason grabbed his hand holding on to him. "You're always gonna be my dad, I never even met Willis except for one time he was always in jail, it's you it's only ever been you,"

Bruce spun wide eyed, he wasn't tearing up but he looked like it. "You were homeless at nine, I should have known about you, should have never let that happen. I failed as your dad before I ever got you and continue to do so since. I'm so sorry, Jay."

Bruce clutched at his hand tightly, refusing to let go Jason patted next to him, and at twenty-two was cuddling next to his dad to sleep just like all those years ago.

"We'll work on it, Dad, don't worry."

**Author's Note:**

> This one also made me wanto write more Jayfam so that might be next


End file.
